Lady Bucs travel to Knoxville on Tuesday for a meeting with No. 12 Tennessee

Cason

Monday, April 13, 2009

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (April 13, 2009) - Fresh off its sweep over Belmont on Easter Sunday, the ETSU softball team will step out of conference play and take on 12th-ranked Tennessee on Tuesday evening in Knoxville. First pitch of the single-game contest is set for 6 p.m. inside Sherri Parker Lee Stadium.

The Lady Bucs ended their four-game skid and improved to 23-18, 5-9 in A-Sun play with the pair of wins over Belmont on Sunday afternoon. The wins also helped move ETSU up the ladder for the conference tournament, as for the time being, the Lady Bucs went from a number six seed to a four spot with six A-Sun games to be played.

Junior shortstop Cheniece Cason (Moreno Valley, Calif.) has been on fire at the plate since March 22, as she has raised her average 60 points and is now hitting .339. Cason has hit safely in 13 of her last 16 games and brings a four-game hitting streak into action on Tuesday. Meanwhile, fellow junior Marissa Hardy (Rocklin, Calif.) earned the two wins in the circle on Sunday (one as a starter and one in relief).

The Lady Vols have won seven of their last nine games and carry a record of 33-9-1 into Tuesday's contest. Tennessee's lone tie has also come in the last nine-game stretch where they played to a 3-3 affair at LSU back on April 5.

As a team Tennessee is hitting .326 with 40 home runs and the pitching staff has a 2.18 ERA and 11 shutouts on the year. Junior Tiffany Huff leads the Lady Vols with a .458 batting average, while a pair of freshmen has helped contribute in a big way as well. Right-hander Cat Hosfield leads the team with 24 wins and third baseman Jessica Spigner has belted a team-leading 14 home runs on the year.

Fans unable to make the trip over to Knoxville can follow all the action online, courtesy of Tennessee's Gametracker. To access live stats either visit www.utladyvols.com or click on the link above.